jimsees

Crazy tomatoes

2011-08-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the middle of August and the produce at
the Union Square Farmers' Market practically
grabs you around the neck and says
"go ahead, say I'm beautiful!"....

I become a bit manic when faced with such overload.
I bought tons of tomatoes and some
loopy peppers and shot them in the studio. The heirloom tomatoes
(so hard to find just a few years ago)
are everywhere in the market. There must be an
Heirloom Tomato Public Relations campaign somewhere
because what was ugly to most of us a few years ago now is beautiful.

Here are a few pics.....

This is what a beautiful niece looks like...

2011-07-24T18:52:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was out in Southern California visiting my sister Kathy and her husband Steve and her great kids Hanna and Ben. A nice surprise was that my brother's daughter, Marisa, was there for the weekend. Marisa is a photographer and an actress and I spent a little time taking some pics of her.

Good to catch up with her and my family for a few short days.

Nice smells lurk everywhere at the Farmers' Market

2011-06-29T05:14:00.001-07:00

My friend Jin who is a macro-biotic chef discovers something new in this
short little clip

http://vimeo.com/25663205

CitizenM

2011-06-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Jumping ahead before I am finished with the posts of my trip to Amsterdam.

The night before our flight back to NYC we decided to stay at Schiphol Airport.
I went to the internet and found CitizenM. It looked like fun and yet completely
functional. Two qualities I love. And it was. The rooms are small and designed like
the inside of a watch. Or those Russian dolls where something smaller
is inside the bigger one. This is a hotel where the bedroom is basically a place
to sleep. The bed and pillows were perfect and the sheets felt nice and crisp.
The public spaces in the lobby are where you would like to hang
out and have a drink and sit on their designer furniture.

I just decided I had to see if I could take some pics in the few hours before our flight.

The staff was great. The man behind the coffee machine at breakfast was
so much fun and he had everyone smiling. Check in was efficient and pleasant.

Even the three minute walk from the hotel to the terminal felt special
under a very well designed awning covering the walkway (in Amsterdam you
often need a little protection from Mother Nature's sprinkles).

&klevering

2011-06-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

We bought these bisque porcelain tealight pieces at a store named &kleverling at 8 Haarlemmerstraat right up close to the Central Station. The colors are super saturated on the inside of the pieces and a wonderful soft matte white on the outside.

I liked them so much I made a little movie. Click the link or the pic to see it on Vimeo!

http://vimeo.com/25257500

Vivian Hann

2011-06-17T03:51:00.000-07:00

We met Vivian Hann, well, when we stopped inside her store, Vivian Hann.
( Haarlemmerdijk 102 1013 JG Amsterdam, Netherlands 06 22049465 ).
Hann's fine curatorial eye and education in industrial design serve her well
here in this little jewel of a store stocked with classic and contemporary ceramics.
The store has a pan-global feel. A little bit of Asia, a little bit of Europe, a little bit of US.
The objects might be fine but the shop is not stuffy. Start a conversation with Hann
about design and her passion for beautifully made and fine crafted objects bubbles up.

Property of...

2011-06-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam has handsome tiny little streets and hidden amongst the twists and curves of the canals are creative retails shops giving London and New York and Tokyo some first class competition.

Property of...™ is a store at Herenstraat 2 that sells superb bags and wallets and accessories. The typical customer might be a Monocle or Wallpaper reader but one less concerned if his shirt is a bit wrinkled or his shoe scuffed. The team out of Singapore designed a shop that makes you want to pull up one of their bentwood chairs and have a cup of coffee...and you can here. (Currently they are serving an organic espresso called Gayo Amaro from Ethiopia produced by that country's only female coffee farmer)

I made it out of the store without buying a handsome, waxed-cotton grey bag with a zipper on top (The Tommy) which would be ideal for popping up in the overhead storage on a plane. I might just have to order it online.

If you stop in you might meet Melvin (the store manager)
or Hendrik (marketing). These two are the sort of stylish, smart
and helpful guys we should all have as next door neighbors or friends.

A few June days in The Netherlands

2011-06-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

Just back from a few days in Amsterdam. We became sort of the prop version of big game hunters.

Joe Maer and I thought The Netherlands might have great things for the prop house and I went too for taking pics of Amsterdam and its beautiful stores and markets and chic hotels. I'll be posting over the next day or so but wanted to start with where we stayed those first few days.

The Times Hotel is an affordable small hotel on the Herengracht canal in central Amsterdam. There is a lovely sitting room on the first floor with huge windows. You can sit and have one (or two or three depending on your jet-lag) delicious cup of coffee (the Dutch LOVE their coffee) and watch the locals bike by. The staff were friendly and efficient and well-informed. The location was not too far from the central station and far enough away from the super-commercial and touristic part otherwise known as The Land of A Thousand Stoned Teenagers.

Late spring Saturday in the city...Jim style

2011-05-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

Just another random weekend day in the city. Started out early at the Union Square Farmer's
Market which is heading full-tilt into abundance.
The first strawberries are out and looking maybe just a little too proudthe last of the skinny asparagus
buckets of peonies with city-dwellers around the blossoms like some
flower-starved zombies
a crate of pears holding on from last fall hoping someone will want some
quiet autumn browns instead of the riot of bright spring pinks and greens
A quick run up to the brand new rooftop deck area at my apartment building.
Looks like the spot most made for a dusk-time glass of rose...
Over to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to take in the greens
and more greens...
and look at this crazy oak tree with the LONGEST branches I have ever seen
watch the tall grasses blow back and forth in the breeze
look at the clouds in the sky and the rippled clouds in the reflecting pool
and nearly pass out from the heady fragrance of the roses in the rose garden.

Sunny Florida

2011-05-24T06:35:00.001-07:00

Here for a few days after a job in Birmingham. Decided to visit my brother and his
wife and his dog and his cat. I almost said children since they seem to consider
the animals family members...

It was hot and sunny. 97 degrees on Sunday. Had a chance to drive to
Cocoa Beach and jump in the ocean. Made me want to get to some
tropical island for a week and just sleep and swim and relax. But back
today to NYC to jump on the bandwagon again.

Here are somepics that for me sum up central Florida (used to live here for college).

Hyacinth colors nearly a rainbow...

2011-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today at the Farmer's Market in Union Square there was a stall selling
these crazy-colored hyacinth flowers. Took them to the studio in the
afternoon and did a few pics. Tried a few different situations in terms
of lighting and composition. Think I like the darker blue background
pic the best.

And I can't understand why there are still hyacinth at the NYC Union
Square Farmer's Market. Seem like they should be way past the
flowering stage. Must be greenhouse grown.

ps. I did a little research on hyacinth (poisonous bulbs and native to
western Iran and Turkmenistan) when I got home. How did
I spend my whole life not knowing the greek mythology for Hyacinth?
He was the beautiful boy lover of Apollo. Hyacinth was out one day
sporting with the god Apollo and was killed by Apollo's discus when
it fell from the sky and hit Hyacinth on the head. Ouch!

What is not on the set can be pretty too.

2011-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I was shooting for a client and we had just finished a shot of brussel
sprouts and I turned and saw the food stylist's cooking sheet and decided to
take a snap. Sometimes the randomness and lack of design on the prep trays
are very beautiful. The finished dish of course was more composed and included
a fab zinc-topped table and nice flatware and ceramic pieces. But somehow I was
more excited by the bright green sprouts on the old cooking sheet.

Was Corsica a dream?

2011-05-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

Even though it was just one month ago my job in Corsica feels like something lingering in my subconsciousness. But in a good way like a nice dream that seems to sit around with you for those first few hours after waking. Here are some of my favorite pics. The client posted my pics up on their website last week so I can now run some here. My little fast journey in Europe makes me want to go back. I think maybe to Amsterdam and Stockholm in June. Being freelance means I can get to choose my own travel schedule. That is unless a job comes in and then that takes priority these days.

An afternoon at New York Botanical Garden

2011-04-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

When you are freelance, like I have been for the last 11 years,
the concept of sneaking away from your job on a day off will
lose its meaning. But every once in awhile the feeling comes
back. For some reason going to a garden during the week
gives me the sense that I shouldn't be there enjoying myself
quite so much (which of course makes me enjoy my time there
so much more). I think it has to do with who else is there at
that time. Lots of school kid groups. Lots of gardeners working.
The occasional Buddhist monk, retirees enjoying the garden
and each other.

Yesterday I zipped up (literally in a Zipcar) to the
New York Botanical Garden. Earlier this week I was out in
New Jersey visiting my mother and it seemed every other
tree was exploding with blossoms. I did not have
my camera with me. When I got back to the city I became
almost desperate wanting to get out and shoot flowering trees.
Things, blossom-wise, can change so quickly this time of year.
Just one strong thunderstorm and VOILA, no blossoms.

Anyway, here are some pics from my garden time
yesterday in D'Bronx.

ps. Do you think the woman in the next to last
shot KNEW she was going to sit under pink
cherry blossoms when she chose her cherry-blossom
pink shirt that morning?

Vermeer and Caravaggio

2011-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday in the city was gorgeous. The first weekend where spring was here without reservation.
I went for a roller-blade along the Hudson and I thought the clouds looked like clouds I
remembered from a Vermeer painting. Well, when I got back home that led to me looking
up other artists and I found this still-life by Caravaggio I don't remember seeing. It is an
amazing still-life of a fruit basket. In a way a tour-de-force. Somehow almost second-hand
but to me mesmerizing and evidence of intense compositional skill and painting talent.

Everything now is so immediate with digital work that it is almost beyond comprehension
the time and planning and ability it takes to make paintings.

Here is the lovely Vermeer landscape, View of Delft and Caravaggio's Canestra di frutta.

what happened to my neat studio?

2011-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Shooting today and tomorrow in the new studio. Ironically I am
using lights because some of the pics need to look like we
are outside and to do that in a studio you have to use lights
(the light has to look like it comes from overhead not from
the side like it would from a window). Everything went well
today but the studio fills up very quickly.

I like the prop stylist, Helen Crowther (she is putting
together her new website and I will post it once I get the address).
Helen is organized and has a great eye and fun and does
not get too wrapped up in "I'm the stylist on set" sort of thinking.

Here are just a few random shots of the prop tables with
some of the props set up.

What once was a nice vaguely OCD studio now looks very lived in.

Spring flowers in the studio

2011-04-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Did a test with these spring flowers from the 28th street flower market.
I have bought some new lights (continuous lighting --Lite Panels and
an Arri instead of the strobe--Profoto). Of course, ironically, I try to get
the lighting to look like daylight. This is helpful when on set and the client
needs time to tweak things and I have to send out jpgs and wait back for approval.
That way we can just go right back to the image and not worry about the
sun shifting position or clouds or nightfall!

The narcissus had the most intense fragrance. Two days later our studio
manager basically said "it is either me or the flowers!" because the fragrance
just became too much.

My very pink saturday morning

2011-04-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

On my walk across west 37th street between 9th avenue
and 7th avenue there was a pink-ish "wolf" seat cover,
pink leaves in a planter, pink graffiti, a pink vest and
crazy pink fabric. Then the Union Square Farmer's Market
had flowers that nearly assaulted you with their springy pinkness.

Maybe the color gods decided NYC needed a little help today
on this gray, cold spring morning.

Nice is, well, nice.

2011-04-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

Back from Corsica and France. Will get some Corsica images up after the client
get them up on their site.

Did stop for one night in Nice. I have been before and there is something so
interesting about the city. Reminds me of Hawaii. The Beach and the sea
are big draws for both tourists and locals. I have never been here at the height
of summer season but beach must be slammed with people. Already in
not-so-warm temps there were people trying to get themselves into the water.

You can tell that jet-lag has sucked away my clever juice....maybe I can
reboot after a good nights sleep.

Took off in this / landed in that

2011-04-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at 6pm I flew out of gray/rainy JFK and today
landed in Nice, France and than a short flight to Corsica.
Here in Bastia for a shoot. It is extraordinary here. The most
mountainous island in the Mediterranean. The culture is an
interesting mix of I love France/I Hate France. In a way
a super-sized version of the townies vs. the summer people you will find
at summer resorts through out the US.

The magazine had a small budget on this one so for
the first time I am negotiating a foreign
travel job by myself. And no. I do not speak french.

Right now hoping I fall asleep early since I am weirdly
dog-tired but somehow not in the mood to get to bed
it being 4:30pm NYC time and 10:30 Corsica time.
I have alot to get done tomorrow and want to be
up-and-at-em in the morning.

The simple new studio

2011-04-05T03:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the new photo studio. We are trying very, very hard
to keep it so simple here. I took these photos before we opened up for
business so of course even now there are more things in the studio.
Some grip (stands, sandbags, apple boxes, etc) and a few rolling carts.
But I want it to be a clean slate for me and for anyone who rents
the space for shooting.

I love so much the concrete floors. And of course the light is so nice
for my job. I have gotten into the habit of using strobe to re-create
natural light and now I am back in love with using natural light.

And my office is upstairs and my assistant's space and a room for
me to shoot in if someone has booked the downstairs

You can tell that I am maybe a little bit obsessed about open,
simple spaces...like my apartment. But my apartment is simple
and open and gray. This place is so white.

ps. The white chairs (Norvald) and white tables (Melltorp) are from
Ikea of course. The Jean Prouve inspired chairs are from
White On White furniture in NYC. The stainless steel tables
are from Chinatown, NYC.

I'm friends with my apartment again

2011-04-03T18:44:00.001-07:00

Spent a good part of the weekend just organizing and cleaning. When I do this I feel like I am back again at the "dating" stage with my apartment where all seems new and fresh and exciting. Well I guess not so hard to clean since I don't really have too much. I like my apartment simple and uncluttered. I took a few pics. I did not have a tripod at my apartment---well I had a tripod but not a tripod head---so I shot these handheld. Usually I am all about the tripod.

One of the best parts of cleaning is that I can then relax a little bit later on and look thru
some of my books for inspiration. Here is what I looked thru today.

This is from the book about Herb Ritts titled "Herb Ritts: The Golden Hour".
Herb was a major force in photography from the 80s and 90s. I remember
thinking, before I was a photographer but still a photo editor, "I wish I could
someday take pics like that..." His work was so stylised and sexy and
beautifully printed.

In that same "Let's take gorgeous pics of semi-clad beautiful men" vein, here are some spreads
from an epically photographed and printed and designed book by the photographer
Ruven Afanador. This book, Torreo, is on matadors. Ruven is from colombia and I am guessing
the bull ring and bull fight are part of his mythos. This book seems to me testimony to the idea
that what you know well and are passionate about will show in the final result.

NOMA (titled after the restaurant of the same name) is an outstanding book of recipes and photographs. The recipes are by

Rene Redzepl and the photography by Ditte Isager. The pics weirdly don't make me want to eat the food right
away as much as they make me with I was Danish.

And from the other side of the world but very close in terms of attention to esthetic detail is a book on Japanese photographers from the 1960s and 1970s called, aptly, "Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and '70s". The image above is titled "Fushi Kaden" by Issei Suda.

Here is another book featuring work of a Japanese artist. This time a person who was
declared a National Living Treasure in Japan. Keisuke Serizawa. He practiced and exulted
"mingei" which is "people craft". Especially textile design. The above spread shows his
stencil-dyed raw silk of Japanese syllables.

Finally this little book titled "Watercolour Patterns" by Joost Van Roojen. I can't remember
where I found this book. Maybe even at the prop house but I love the paintings and color
treatments by Roojen.

Saturday Random-ish-ness...

2011-04-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Friday night from my apartment. NYC lights still can look gorgeous

Spring makes an appearance at the Union Square Farmer's Market

Saturday pastries from The Adore 17 East 13th Street.

I feel like I am being watched. My fan looks like it just had a Red Bull...check out

wtface.com

Is it because I took all those "white" photos??

2011-04-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

I am looking out my window and it is snowing. I like snow BUT it is spring.
Time for daffodils and tulips and sunshine.

Reminded me that I did a little video of a storm back in
December. Click the Snow Video and take a look.
(Tomorrow will be much better sunny and 51 degrees fahrenheit)
SNOW VIDEO

White-ish shoot

2011-03-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today in the new studio. I have a meeting tomorrow for a commercial job and today
the art buyer wrote in an email to Michael, our studio manager, "have Jim
bring a still life portfolio and if he has "white" pics that would be great. I do have
"white" images in my books but I thought I would pull together a few more today.
So at 3pm I called Michael and asked him to get some props together.
He did a great job and in such a short time. We collected the props and ran
up to 37th street and in the space of maybe 1 1/2 hours or so did a bunch of pics.
Here are my favorites. Now I just have to process them hires
and then print out tomorrow for my 5:30pm meeting.

And ironically I am in this great new daylight studio and today I ended up setting
up the strobe to shoot these pics. The light was gone by the time I was ready
to begin...

Sunday at the flea

2011-03-20T18:37:00.001-07:00

Today was a busy one at the flea markets. You could sense that the dealers were feeling
relief over the nice weather. Nothing like a sunny sunday early spring day to bring out the
crowds looking for that elusive thing-a-ma-jig. I found a few myself today. Then to the studio
to do a few quick pics.

A great stool. Absolutely perfect for the new studio since I needed one for picture-taking. It is very solid and the seat is sorta big and also could double as a little extra surface if needed. A few asiatic bowls. One I was told was from Japan...then a Japanese friend later looked at it and said "it is chinese". The funny thing is the man who told me it was from Japan was Chinese. A Dansk coffee cup and saucer. Nice mother-of-pearl knives. Linen-covered book. Weird little denim-ish blue vase. Teeny-tiny blue ceramic bowl with handle. Brass box. The list goes on and on. Shot a little sherbet
with a few blueberries just to for fun.

Saturday Flea Market stroll...

2011-03-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Quick run to the 25th Street Flea Market. Found two things. One is a woodblock color print by a Japanese artist named Benji Asada--dating I believe from the 1940s since I read he turned to painting after WWII. I can't believe I found something so subtle and beautiful. When I was looking at it I thought "why didn't anyone else buy this print?"

And another 20th century find...this time from 1969. Linen silk-screened fabric by someone named B.H. Rittenhoff. I did a search for info and found none. I might just have to shoot my new turquoise glasses on this piece of linen.

More flea market / antique store finds

2011-03-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the new finds from the last 6 days. A mix of things from the 25th street flea market and then a few little gems I found today while out in New Jersey visiting my mother.

I bought a few things last sunday from a man named Bob at the 25th street flea market and after talking a bit found out he had a store in Bogota, NJ. Well, I grew up right next to Bogota and was curious to see his place. His store, 30 West , had a few interesting pieces but nothing that seemed like a good match for the prop house. But on the block were other stores and I found a Blenko amber-colored glass vase and
super colorful turquoise drinking glasses along with a soft powder blue sherbet glass. Ran back to the new studio and took a few quick shots. Hope to do a test with some of them maybe this weekend.

New bucket and citrus test

2011-03-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

In the new studio today and wanted to shoot a little food test.
The problem was that I did not have a food stylist so we decided
on something very easy for us to pull-off.

Some clementines and citrus and a little heavy cream (whipped),
cinnamon and sweetened coconut flakes.

Everything was shot with daylight at the new studio except for the
closeup of the cut citrus. I had to put up the strobes because the
light went down.

I really wanted to bake something but instead we decided to
head out to the flea market on 25th street and 6th avenue.
Found a few nice things. Will put them up tomorrow probably.

Brass pot from Flea Market

2011-03-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market (on 39th Street between 9th and 10th avenues) sometimes offers up little treasures. But not often. Like combing the beach for sea glass. Takes lots of time but when you find something beautiful you feel doubly rewarded. Today I found this beautiful old brass pot. The patina is amazing to me. It looks like someone spent a week crafting the oxidized green speckles and patches on the surface. The guy who sold it to me said "you can polish that thing right up". I am sure it would still be beautiful polished but that patina could never be created again.

Almost showtime

2011-03-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

Spring is literally just a few weeks away--12 days to be precise. About now I get itchy to see something growing outside but I have to be patient. To help me with my flora withdrawals I took some pics in the studio. The tulips were crazy pretty. Joe Maer did the styling. Every once in a while he
unleashes his secret weapon....a hidden floral arranger!

Test at the new studio

2011-03-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

We bit the bullet and are about to open another studio. Super excited about this place. The light is tremendous and has a completely different quality than the light at Good Light Studio. Today was the first time I shot in the new place--got the keys just last monday. Took some props from the prop house and put them on one of the nice and new and not expensive Ikea tables. The cloudy and crazy-windy-rainy weather made for some nice northern-ish light.

Looking forward to working in this space. Will post some pics of the studio once I
have a chance to take them this week.

Flea Market Weekend...

2010-11-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

A few good things from the flea markets this weekend. A gorgeous, curvy gray-green vase (there are marks on the bottom but have yet to figure out what they say...pretty sure it does not say Ikea!). The finish on the vase is an incredible mat. A cute brass rabbit from Japan. A solid brass leaf from 1960s. Round ceramic ball...have no idea about this one. This could be from Ikea! A beautiful crystral with just the smallest, littlest imperfection on the tip. Found a lithograph of an apple that I just had to get. I took pics last weekend of apples and this print seemed ready for center stage. The notation says: "Walbridge. (Edgar Red Streak). Highly esteemed in cold sections for its hardiness and productivenes; quality good: in season from January to May." I have never heard of this apple before but now I wonder if this type even exists anymore. Here also a pic I took last weekend of apples bought at the Union Square Farmer's Market.

A little movie for the prop house

2010-09-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

I did a little movie about a little blue vase for the prop house. I hope you like it.

(click "movie")...

2010-08-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

Up here in Maine taking some pics. I had been to Wells, Maine last year photographing an artist, George Burke. This visit I made a point to see the Corey Daniels Gallery which sits on Post Road with buildings looking like a group of very sophisticated aliens trying to disguise themselves as just plain old New England houses. Daniels is an artist with a comprehensive creative mind. His paintings and photographs and sculpture sit among found pieces, high-end mid-century furniture and other artists' creations. Worth a visit if you ever find your way up to this part of Maine

Hotel Boca Chica in Alcapulco

2010-07-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics I took in Acapulco. Went to photograph the newly renovated Hotel Boca Chica by the Habita Group out of Mexico City. They have a very good hand with hotel renovations and they make the rooms and public areas at once very stylish without being too much "of-the-moment"....which of course never lasts too long.

For more pics go to my website and see the Hotel Boca Chica portfolio.

The Brooklyn Flea

2010-06-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Just two weeks ago I took the subway to Brooklyn to check out the Brooklyn Flea Market. On saturdays it is held on Lafayette Avenue between Vanderbilt and Clermont. I had no expectations but the flea was a happy surprise for me. The hipster volume is pretty high here at this school-yard-turned-flea market. Wanna see where cute girls in granny dresses are inking their tattoos? Check. Straw fedoras with the top cut out for dreads? Check. Mixed ethnicity kids looking like playdate kids for Brangelina's bunch or Gavin and Gwen's kids' nursery school mates? Check. Cool only semi-ironic t-shirts? Check. Skinny black jeans and red underwear briefs over bony hips holding up an expensive bike lock chain? Check. Beautifully crafted tables? Check. Chic porcelain pieces? Check. Reclaimed eyewear? Check. Freakishly tasty raw chocolate bars? Check. Fresh illustrated bags and towels and prints? Check.

Probably the most friendly flea I have been to in the city. The manhattan flea's tend to offer much more in the way of surprises and less in food and craft. But the vendors in Manhattan can seem a bit more about making the sale where as the Brooklyn Flea people really care about what they are selling either emotionally or esthetically. And the quality of what is sold is high for a public flea market.

Some of my favorites:
Mi Mesita. Manny makes very well-crafted minimalist pieces that are definitely the fancy-pants of the market. Very Nakashima-inspired and that is a very good place to be for inspiration.

Claudia Pearson offers illustrated totes and table linens that make you pray the food you are served from the tote or onto a linen is as delectable as her drawings.

ASIS (Angela Spencer's Irresistible Stuff). Angela had a gorgeous tee with sailor knots illustrating the front. It reminded me of Japanese Noren which hang at the entrance to traditional japanese restaurants and shops.
Romi Ceramics Sets out on her table, clean and modern and unpretentious vases. They are porcelain and in black and white and yellow and blue. Some have a very controlled Pollock-ish drip in contrasting colors. I bought two of them and they make a nice cool addition to my somewhat organic collection on my kitchen table.

Gnome Enterprises offer hand-silk screened t-shirts. They are de rigueur hip tees but done with a deft hand and in offbeat colors and designs that seem like they are from a Hallmark Greeting Card that mistakenly took a hit of acid.

Fine and Raw Chocolates: Since I like chocolate I have been wary of "sugar free" and "dairy free" when deciding on something cocoa to pop into my mouth. Well the offerings at Fine and Raw are sugar free and dairy free and addictive.

Retro-Futuristic: Need 1956 librarian eyeglasses? Need 1960 aviator sunglasses ala Steve McQueen. Auntie Mame specials? Head over to this stand where there are many styles to choose from and lots of encouragement from other shoppers. And the owner has another biz of restoring trailers so check them out on his site.

New Apartment Therapy book is out

2010-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the new Apartment Therapy book, The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces was published. I did the photography for the book and it looks great. Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, a co-founder of AT wrote the book and Joe Maer styled. It was a ton of work and we shot soooo many cool places and met incredibly interesting people.

The design and decorating of the homes was inspiring. Some people were messy and cool and some people were austere and cool and some were hippy-dippy and cool and some were industrial and cool. Kinda of open-season, decorating-wise.

Here are a few of my favorite spreads....

One-handed photography....

2010-06-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I took a little foray out into the real world by myself and with my Canon and a lens and no tripod. It is the first pic taking since I broke my wrist may 23 (had to have surgery may 27). Very frustrating when i am used to just carrying a zillion things on both arms. Today was just my one arm and my injured hand is just now able to focus. Can't hold anything with the left hand yet but next week I go back to the surgeon's office and get the stitches out and a brace which I can take off. But all looks good and should be out the taking pics within two weeks.

Anyway, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens were empty this early June thursday. The roses, much to my chagrin, were already past their best. Must have been the rain and the warm early spring. Still some look very pretty and they were happy to have the attention paid to them. The bonzai house was completely empty and feeling like another world. That might be because I am reading Lafcadio Hearn's"Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan" which was published in 1894. Reading this book is a joy, mainly due to Hearn's palpable thrill at being in Japan and seeing absolutely everthing fresh. That is how the bonzai house felt to me today. So quiet and empty and yet not sad. The old, tiny trees seemed proud and content.

My new best friend...

2010-06-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Bought this moody and handsome teak sculpture at the flea market at the garages on 25th street. Knew I had to buy it once I saw it sitting being ignored on a table full of stuff. He sat there regally and out of place---like an aristocrat sitting on a blanket at Coney Island.

Not sure of it's origin but think it is Balinese. I love the style and if anyone knows more about this school of art please let me know.

Poppies at the studio

2010-03-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

Gerri Williams, one of our favorite prop stylists who comes into the prop business a bunch, and with whom I have worked on shoots, was in our studio last week styling for Shop Smart. She left a bunch of poppies on my desk.

Got inspired to take a quick pic yesterday at the studio when I was there by myself. One of the great things about the weekends is the studio is empty and the prop business is empty. Found a backdrop, a surface and a vase and there you have it. A nice little set for poppies that were just about to drop their petals. Even crumbling these flowers were spectacular.

drawing...

2010-01-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

Still can get enough of this drawing and painting program. Gotta get back at taking pics but this sure is fun.

Heart on a string...

2010-01-13T19:46:00.003-08:00

A quick little drawing. Remember the loved ones in one month..Valentine's day

painting from a shot of a model I photographed....

2010-01-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

OK, OK....you can see my OCD tendencies now. I got this software on thursday and I can't stop!

More fun with Artrage...

2010-01-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

Having more fun with the Artrage software. Brought my Wacom tablet from the studio to the apartment and trying to get a grip (literally!) on how to make my hands, via the pen, do what my brain wants them to do. Sorta frustrating but so enjoyable for me. I want to find people who use this software and see their work. I have a feeling there must be Artrage virtuosos hiding on the web!

computer "painting"...

2010-01-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Today I bought a new software (Artrage) and tonight I was trying to learn the software and I did
my first computer "painting"....I am looking forward to understanding this application
and to using it with my tablet instead of my finger (clumsy) and my tracking pad (small) on my mac.

This piece is so not anything but I loved how you can see that it let's you do "oil", "watercolor", "chalk", "airbrush", and blending, etc.

Rainy and snowy day perfect for studio work

2009-12-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well, today is New Year's Eve...for some of you it is already 2010. Happy New Year to everyone and only good things for the coming year.

In NYC it was wet and snowy and gray. A very good time to just stay in the studio and make some pictures. I am working on a food photography promo and since the studio was empty I took advantage and did some new pics. I even ended up doing a bit of food styling. The rice pilaf is from the new Gordon Ramsey book titled Cooking for Friends. It was delicious. Just needed some salt. The pumpkins I had sitting around the studio from a shoot in October so their expiration date was fast approaching. The mushrooms we bought today at Whole Foods. I could not tell if the shoppers were excited or frantic or a combination of both. Everyone will be able to relax once the holidays are past and winter settles in for the season.

Winter blues (and greens...)

2009-12-13T04:44:00.000-08:00

Here are two pics from this week that seem to spell "winter" to me. The first was part of a food shoot for a client. We did a series of cheese pics. One of the shots had so many cheeses...15 varieties for a horizontal spread. But I liked this one little cheese all by itself the best. The light looks very winter to me (winter provided by Profoto strobes because the light left us at 3:30PM).

Then, yesterday morning at the frigid Union Square Farmer's Market I passed this stall selling organic dyed merino wool yarn. Catskill Merino sells both these yarns dyed with a subtle touch and lamb meat. Yesterday afternoon I ran to the studio and went thru the prop house to assemble a little still-life. This is real winter light provided my Mother Nature at 3:15PM on Saturday December 12th---winter doesn't truly arrive in the northern hemisphere until 12:47PM (EST) on Monday December 21st.

Now it is paintings...

2009-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Well, the sawdust thing with the surfaces got to me this past weekend when I was working on more surfaces for the prop house( up to I think 60 refinished pieces). Partly my fault since I bought a Ridgid belt sander and had never used one before and it turned out to be a sawdust factory. Sawdust was everywhere and it was a hassle to clean up the studio so I decided to take a break this week and work on some paintings.

Here are three I just did. This is for the prop house but I am now inspired to work on pieces for me.

And almost as great as the process of painting is the fact that I don't have to vacuum up sawdust when I leave the studio.

Everything Old is New Again

2009-11-30T05:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday made one of my rare forays, with The Stylist, to a flea market. At the 24th Street Flea Market (between 6th and 7th Avenues in a parking garage for those not familiar with this market) we saw these beautiful reproductions (two mercury-glass hurricane lamps and a large silvered, glass vase) for sale. The dealer told us that they were modern reproductions made in Europe. We both marveled at the craftsmanship and the design. Very Dusty Belgian Chateau we liked to imagine.

Well, this morning I got up early and took some pics. Not 100% sure they will stay here at the apartment. They might end up on the shelves at the prop house where I hope they won't look down on their less pedigreed neighbors...

Chinatown Test with Joe Choi

2009-11-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick little pic from a shoot I did wednesday in Chinatown. The guy I shot is Joe Choi with Red Agency. He also goes to NYU Stern School. How he manages both I don't know. I almost canceled the shoot...the stylist was 1 1/2 hours late and I was stressed out at the studio but of course once I begin shooting all is good...

Serizawa at Japan Society

2009-11-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

I need to get to see this exhibit of work by Serizawa Keisuke at The Japan Society. What I have seen online is incredibly graphic and smart and yet somehow friendly and maybe even humble.

Serizawa worked using stencil-dyeing(?) and I want to see what that is and how it is done. He was a Living National Treasure. The work here was done between 1955 and 1961. It feels completely contemporary. The entrance curtains are called noren....I want one for my apartment! The kimono is described as "Pattern Imitating Glaze Dripping Down the Side of a Jar"...

Enough with the surfaces....

2009-11-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yes. The surface saga continues. Still a little OCD about
sanding/painting/waxing pieces of wood for the prop house business.
Today I got to use a surface I refinished for a job. I had to shoot some
bread for a client and used a board I reworked to look old. Perfect
for floury and crusty bread.

And here are some new pieces...

Oh, yes. I am still very boring and being compeletly anti-social because I am spending
so much time in the studio. OK, the week before last I had a job in Miami for 5 days so that
required me to be more happy-smiley but my head was thinking about painting---soon
I am going to begin painting "paintings" I think once I get these surfaces out of the way.

Tonight a friend called and asked "Where have you been!". I told her I am like Big Foot.
Rumor has it I exist but the sightings are rare and unreliable....

handicraft...

2009-10-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

Well, this week when I should have been re-doing my portfolio or website or somehow working on my photography biz I found myself obsessed with refinishing surfaces for the prop house. First I started on a pine-plank "fence" we made a few months ago for a shoot that somehow never felt complete--the prop, not the shoot which was finished. So I went to Home Depot. There I dug down deep within myself to find my inner-handyman (which believe me is hidden very, very deep) and bought an orbital sander, wood filler, stain, paint and wax and headed back to the studio. Turned out to be super fun and relaxing. After I finished the fence thing every thing became kinda blurry and all I saw in front of me were things just begging to be re-surfaced. Next was a piece of wood just sitting there all sorta of plain I used "Fruit Punch" stain from Minwax and a reddish paint from Behr. Then a very old cutting board (don't worry we must have 25 or so cutting boards) and it I painted white. Next up was an old table with a ruined surface--magic markers, ink spill, etc. This became very reddish-orange. Then a maple piece also painted white and then another cutting board stained green with "Botanical" by Minwax and some dark forest green by Behr.

There is no stopping me now. I think I need intervention. This was all done in two days...

A few new things for the prop house..

2009-10-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Went shopping yesterday to Soho and ended up at Ochre on Broome Street. Got some things for the prop house. A few plates by Daniel Smith, a british artist who works in ceramics and a dark resin plate. Today it was raining and it has been for a few. And cold. And where did fall go?

So of course it was a perfect day to spend in the studio taking pics of the new things which I like very much.

Anime Kids

2009-10-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I was outside my apartment and noticed some people in costume. Then I noticed ALOT of people in costume. These people were going to the local convention center, Jacob Javitz which is just a few blocks from my place, to attend an Anime Convention. The next day I took two assistants and kinda talked our way into the center and set up a little mini-studio.

I have no idea who the characters are that these conventioneers were portraying but I loved how intense they were about their depictions. Of course for some it was fun but for others it was a passion.

I really fell in love with the intensity most of these kids had for the characters and also admired the craft some of them brought to re-creating(out of fabric and paper-maiche) the characters in their costumes.

Where did summer go?

2009-09-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

The light has changed so much. I looked at the sunlight coming into my bedroom today and realized how the direction of the sun has changed now that fall is here. Then I went to Union Square Farmer's Market and everything seemed to whisper "summer is gone...". That is OK. I bought some fresh and delicious Honey Crisp apples and they seemed perfectly content to be extraordinary symbols of the new season here on my kitchen table. And a nice pics from apple picking two weeks ago when I was in Wisconsin.

And I want to introduce some of my new friends. Two interesting ceramic birds (one a chicken I think the other a very sleek looking owl) and a hippo.

Today's Lesson, Children: Orange

2009-09-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

In Chicago for the weekend visiting The Stylist. Went to a store called Den on Central Street in Evanston. For sure the owner, Daran Puffer, must like orange. He had some very beautiful orange (tangerine?) and reddish objects. Two great orange suede covered Milo Baughman chrome chairs and lamps, lamps, lamps. Turns out that Daran is an ace at renovating lamps and chandeliers and sconces. We ended up talking to him for a while and we took a look at his workshop with the trophy marlin over his bench and the figurine lamp that looks like she is trying on lampshades as dresses...

Some new friends...

2009-08-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well now in my bedroom there is a ceiling lamp. At first I was resistant because I liked how open it felt without something hanging over the bed. But being able to turn on a light with a switch at night feels all sorts of modern. Getting used to what at first felt like an alien space craft hovering over me when I woke up. Of course the design is beautiful to me. Just enough happening so that it is not too plain but not so much that it feels like it demands constant attention. And my kitchen table now has a very nice little "bonsai" maple tree plant. I put bonsai in quotes because I bought it on Canal Street in chinatown from a man selling them off a folding table and I have no idea if this plant will last. But for now I like having it here in the morning to greet me.

Summer into Fall

2009-08-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Was at the studio today (and well, yesterday late--9:30 and friday until 9:30 and today until 9:00). Shooting for a client and the going was slow. So slow in fact that when a friend brought in a bunch of gorgeous tomatoes from his tiny little Brooklyn backyard garden I had time to set up a shot and do a little pic. Also on hand were some very pretty fall-looking things from the Flower Market.

What Doesn't Look Good Against Black?

2009-08-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Is it because I recently moved into a place I painted gray? Is something in the air, stylistically? I feel like I am cheating on my "white" lover. Today I went to the Farmer's Market and bought some dahlias and some fruit. The colors are too crazy right now---so orange and yellow and red. The flowers look perfect in my new thrift-store black vase (from the aisles of a place in Orlando, Florida). The fruit looks luscious against the black and gray bowls.

Of course the fruit was still pretty inside the plastic bag from the market.

The Newest and Best Public Space In New York

2009-08-08T04:37:00.000-07:00

How the High Line Park ever came to exist is mind boggling. Real Estate interests wanted to demolish the rail line and two area residents created the Friends Of The High Line in 1999 and here today we have this gorgeous (if not yet completed) public space for walking high up above the streets.

Last night I happened to be near there---after escaping the Apple Store on 14th Street with my credit card still in my wallet--and decided to check it out. I'm glad I had my camera(wish I had my tripod!).

Then, after I walked the completed length up to 20th street a woman had just begun performing (Renegade Cabaret) off a fire escape. I understand there was a marching band there recently....last night was a woman in a red dress singing jazz.

Farmer's Market Union Square NYC

2009-08-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

Being habitual I again went saturday morning to the Union Square Farmer's Market. It is just about near the zenith of summer produce. Maybe one more week or two and then the produce just pours in from the local farms.

Everything I bought of course was local:the peaches, the blueberries, the purple basil and the mozzarella cheese. I am such a lazy eater that I hardly ever cook but I did manage to boil some water and make myself a delicious warm pasta with the basil, tomatoes and cheese.

Gotta get more friendly with my kitchen...

"Uncle" Jim...

2009-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a very cute bunch of kids---Joe's nephew and nieces. And in no particular order their obsessions were: Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap, Lego Bionicles, Stone Cold Creamery Ice Cream, swimming and of course, going to the mall.

A face for the times....

2009-07-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in Florida (sorry I have not been posting but I have been traveling/working recently) I photographed a model named Wilfredo. When I was looking at the pics later last night I thought he had a face that seems like a very contemporary face. He maybe could be from India or maybe from the Philippines or maybe from Mexico. It turns out that he is Puerto Rican.

I love seeing faces either on the street or thru work that mystify me and don't immediately let me know their origins.

Goodbye White Apartment...

2009-07-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, if you have seen earlier posts I moved from my place on 42nd Street just a few blocks to 34th street. From a white apartment to a gray apartment. Just photographed the white place because we might try to sell or rent. Of course when I see it like this I miss it already. But the truth is that I like my gray one-bedroom which somehow is more calming to me and fits my energy these days.
(besides now I have my office not in my home like at the white apartment but in the photo studio...much better not so see printers and fax machines and filing cabinets and wires and cables when I wake up in the morning).

ps. These photos are for real estate posting so a little clinical....

Tiny summer apples

2009-07-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

The location in Georgia had apple trees on their property(I didn't even know apples could grow in Georgia). The stylist took the little fruit on small branches and stuck them in old bottles as a table decoration. It looked so sweet and simple and full of "summer".

Then they brought out the cocktail to shoot which was gin/blackberries/cucumbers/lime. Needless to say it was popular. Maybe too popular since it became the Quickly Disappearing Gin Cocktail...

Country Side Shoot

2009-07-13T04:23:00.000-07:00

Down in Georgia shooting an entertaining story for a magazine. Oh, did I mention it was July in Georgia (extreme humidity: check. extreme mosquitoes: check. sizzling temperatures: check. six-foot snakes: check). But I kinda of love it. In NY you experience the elements but only on your way to work or Whole Foods or the to the movies.

Yesterday we just did a little bit of shooting before it RAINED (which apparently drives the six-foot snakes out from under the house which is when I saw one). Today I hope the rain stops and we can continue shooting outside under this very beautiful old tree which really is the perfect setting for a mid-summer afternoon party.

Interior's Book Post #3 (The Find)

2009-07-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

As a NYC-based food stylist, Alison Attenborough finds herself at the top of the food-styling chain, no pun intended. She is one of the busiest out there styling for magazines (if you look at Food + Wine you are looking most likely at Alison's craft) and food and lifestyle advertisers.

Alison's artful vision extends beyond her work with food and continues on to the interior of her loft that she shares with Jamie Kimm (hard to believe but Jamie is yet another top food stylist creating beautiful food presentations for magazines and advertising).

Here are some pics I shot for The Find at Alison and Jamie's loft in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC. The pucci pillows she created from a Pucci frock she spied at a flea market.

And you can't be surprised by their gorgeous kitchen....you thought maybe a hot plate?

July 4th Fireworks

2009-07-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

I sometimes forget what an incredible place NYC (or any big city really) is and how fantastic it is to live here. Saturday's fireworks two blocks from my studio and also just two blocks from my apartment made me appreciate NYC anew. Even more spectacular than the colorful explosions were the thousands of people going "oooohhh" and "aaaahhhh" in unison. The top shot is off across the Hudson River from the studio. I could see 5 barges shooting off the fireworks. Then I quickly ran the three blocks to 34th street and my apartment just in time to catch the end and be swallowed up by the thousands and thousands of people heading east toward the subways.

Interiors' Book Post #2 (The Find)

2009-07-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Prop stylist Joe Maer often finds himself spending nearly as much time in airports on his way to styling photo shoots as he does lurking around flea markets in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. Luckily for us his spot-on sensibility is not dulled by the CNN-TV drone at gate 14 or the all-too-often delayed flights.
Joe styled (and I shot for the book The Find) these pictures in our NYC studio. One shoot was meant to illustrate the idea of a blue and white tea party and the other was supposed to make you feel like you were a guest at a cool cocktail party.

Which one would you like to attend?

L'Occitane

2009-06-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Like how L'Occitane, which is sorta the GAP of fragrance shops, makes good products that are not crazy expensive and available to the masses. Nothing super exquisite but interesting fragrances and I am in love with the amber bottles for their Pour Homme products. Maybe more than how they smell.

Look good on my bathroom widow sill once I clean off the NYC dust that floats in after a day or so.

S-l-o-w-l-y.....

2009-06-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Pulling together my space. Did end up buying a couch. Got it delivered on friday. I walked into the apartment and saw it there and it looked like a fabric elephant. But now I like how it looks. And it sure is comfortable. Still a Milo Baughman from RICO but not the wood backed one. Too heavy looking and double the price.

Found this super nice mid-century ceramic vase which is such an amazing color and shape. Don't know much about where/when on this but who cares, it is so interesting right?

Interiors Book post #1 (The Find)

2009-06-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Shot the pics for a book on decorating with vintage and thrift for a book by Stan Williams named The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details ( I know a VERY long title). Some of the photos did not make it into the book and I thought I would occasionally share some here.

These are from the home of Carl Martinez. Carl is a super-talented designer ( an artist, really) of high-end hardware pieces.

Love how simple Carl keeps his home so the few things he has get the attention they deserve. Basically his place was a jaw-dropper. I think an 1890 townhouse with 3 or 4 floors and a great backyard.

We can all daydream, right.

Nature gone nuts...

2009-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Did nature really intend for some flowers to be this crazy color? I hope so!
Shot these quick little pics and still can't believe the plant kingdom is capable
of creating blossoms in this color. Feels like a "safety" green color
a school crossing guard would have to wear as a vest.

Sofa

2009-06-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I need a sofa. I have/had a white one and it is feeling just a little too long for this smaller place(42nd Street was a loft-ish floor plan) and just too white. Saw this one from Thayer Coggin and like it. I have to see how much this sofa will cost and also what color fabrics are offered. The wrap-around wood is a nice touch and adds a bit of warmth to the design. Maybe not the most design-forward thing in the world but looks comfortable and bridges the gap between minimal and sit-able.

And has that "honey-I-made-you-a-sofa-in-my-basement-wood-workshop" piece of furniture that your grandmother would not allow in her living room.

UPDATE: Well, I found the sofa at a place called RICO in Brooklyn. It seems that the sofa is something like $4800 so it this won't be sitting pretty in my apartment. I like it enough but that sort of cash seems out of proportion to this sort of sofa.

Practical? No. Cute? Yes.

2009-06-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

So today received a housewarming gift. It is a little nightlight designed by David Weeks from a line named "Ulterior Votives". Pretty funny, right. Weeks designed this particular piece to look like a mini campfire. It is made up of three pieces. My middle name is not exactly "whimsy" but I like this alot.
Thanks, Joe.

1935 or 2009

2009-06-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a new pic I shot down in Miami of a model named Lin. She was perfect for this. Very still and private and not quite contemporary but not quite old-fashioned. I like that it has a 1930s mood to it. Kind of They Shoot Horses Don't They meets Willamsburg hipster.

You want what you can't have

2009-06-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

These last few days I have yearned for shooting film. Right before I began to shoot digitally I was way into 4X5 viewcameras. I would even drag them across the globe for travel jobs. There is something very satisfying about the process of using polaroids and film. Not easy, of course, but it is a very forgiving medium and can produce images not possible with digital, even with tons of photoshop.

So today I went to B&H and bought some 4X5 polaroid, well, Fuji instant film since Polaroid is out of business. Of course about two hours into my romantic "polaroid" moment I ended up switching to digital because I wanted to capture some images and didn't want to wait for the film to be processed, printed, scanned, etc.

Here are 4 polaroid images and two (knife/flower) digitally captured with a Phase One P45 back.
(Polanoid.net is a great site with tons of polaroid imagery and they are trying to bring back polaroid-type instant film).

Cloudy? Rainy? Time to talk about sunglasses

2009-06-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

It seems in NYC that is has been raining forever. Sometimes poetically, sometimes epically. When the sun does come out I am going to wear my favorite sunglasses. They are from Tretorn, the Swedish fashion and footwear company. I have in black too. And their sneakers and winter boots are great too.

Fresh Fruit

2009-06-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today's market reminded me of two test shoots from last summer. One was berries and styled by Vivian Lui, a young food stylist. The other shoot I styled myself and I really got into making the whip cream. And eating the peaches.

Union Square Farmer's Market, NYC

2009-06-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Just about every saturday I head down to the Union Square Farmer's Market on 14th Street in New York City. Usually I meet up with my friend Jin who is a macrobiotic chef. I watch him do his careful shopping choosing the best organic vegetables and eggs and breads,etc.

I'm there for the atmosphere and the Cafe Mocha at the end of shopping, courtesy of Whole Foods. ( I hope to cook more in my new apartment...but I just finished takeout thai from Prem-On and it was fast and delicious).

Right now the Farmer's Market is gearing up for the time of year when it explodes with fresh food. Today I bought some delicious local strawberries (normal size not the gargantuan california ones with not so much taste) and a few apples--from last season of course. One apple, a Mutsu, also know as a Crispin, was about as big as a softball. The others were tiny and probably what nature intended.

There were very beautiful but not very cheap lilies from Jacksflowers. I don't know the variety but they are fragrant and yellow-ish with a dark pink center. I think they look right at home in my place.

Pretty near perfect

2009-06-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

This white spider mum flower was like the Energizer Bunny. I bought it on monday and it kept going and going and getting better and better. Sometimes flowers freak me out because they are so perfect.

Trying out a few new pieces...

2009-06-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I put my bed frame from Design Within Reach (outlet!) together this week after I drove back to pickup the correct parts that were missing from my first effort. I think it looks good. I do love how simple the bed was on the floor but the reality is that it is more practical and comfortable up off the floor. And yesterday we dragged a table up the three blocks from our prop rental biz to see if I think it fit in my bedroom (both literally and visually). I will use this as a desk. I don't have the chair here yet. Still figuring that one out.

High-ish and low-ish: Bed frame "Min" from DWR and the side table and desk lamp are both from Target...Thomas O'Brien collection I believe but from a few years ago.

Quiet is nice

2009-06-03T14:32:00.002-07:00

Wednesday in NYC and it is raining now and darkening. Makes the city seem calm. Here are two pics I took that give me the same feeling. One is from the Chicago Botanic Garden and the other a pic I pulled together at Joe's apartment in Chicago.

2009-06-03T14:32:00.001-07:00

Things I am finding out about the new place

2009-06-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

A) The view during the day is much less romantic than at night but still interesting. B) My apartment (1) would have a nice view of The Empire State Building (2) if my window faced east. But B&H Photo and Video (3) is dangerously close. C) A downstairs' neighbor has a nice little terrace. D) Across the way is a very simple but lush private garden with a japanese maple and two blossoming Rhododenren. E) My gray apartment (with black-painted doors) seems right at home in the neighborhood since most everything out my window is gray and white and black.

First night in new place

2009-06-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am spending the first night in the new apartment. It is not ready yet and I am not really moved in yet but just had to get a start and organize my bed and a small kitchen table and chairs (and flowers of course). The bed is supposed to be on a DWR frame but they sent 3 pieces for a full sized mattress and the rest for a queen size mattress, so it is back to Secaucus, New Jersey to figure this out at the outlet.

So for now the mattress is on the floor and that is cool since I lived the last 6 years with a mattress on the floor.

Still have to move my stuff here probably Tuesday or Wednesday but will edit down what I bring so I can keep the new place uncluttered.

Wasn't sure at first how I felt about the entire apartment being gray but I am happy with it now. I used four variations of a cool gray and the darkest is the bedroom and let's see if the darker room makes me oversleep!

Dance Photos from Andrea Mohin

2009-06-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has a small portfolio of Andrea Mohin's dance photography. Sometimes I see something and it escapes me how a such a beautiful photograph was made. At first you think it was luck or the perfect moment. These two dancers were photographed at the EXACT time they should have been photographed. When you look at Mohin's work in the portfolio you realize this was not luck.

Think Pink!

2009-06-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to say about pink except it can be such a crazy color. The rose is from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the dress is Valentino (and shot at the new Mondrian South Beach). Which came first, the chicken or the egg / the dress or the flower.

Summer Dusk NYC

2009-05-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Like probably most cities breaking free of cold weather a June evening can make even the ordinary seem interesting. Tonight I walked from my place to my local community garden. It is practically screaming "Perfect" for now is the time for roses and green things and people hanging out enjoying the warm air. Then a quick walk up Ninth Avenue for takeout and that special sunset light was gorgeous.

This special time of the year can make it seem like you never saw a flower or a sunset street or a food cart.

Grey Gardens Interior

2009-05-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

This pic was from a New York Times piece on Grey Gardens as it is today and as it was when Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee purchased the property in 1979 from Edith Bouvier Beale.

The documentary by the Maysles brothers' everyone knows. But the interiors are both sad and majestic and a marvel when you realize these two women--Big Edie and Little Edie were penniless and struggling with probably varying degrees of mental illness.

The bedroom with the wallpaper kimono is so elegant to me and so balanced. I want my new bedroom to look like this and I NEVER want my new bedroom to look like this.

Underwater Anthropologie Catalog Pics

2009-05-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

The new Anthropologie Catalog hired the photographer Barabara Cole to shoot some of the pics. Usually I feel the underwater thing can get a bit gimmicky but somehow Cole breathed some new life into these images. I wondered if maybe she was a photographer they hired and said "for this job can you shoot underwater" or was she an underwater photographer that they said "for this job you will shoot fashion" or some combo of both. If you go to her website you will get the answer. Cole clearly loves her job and that is also something I appreciate beyond her skill with a camera.

And the model was Irina Funtikova from Elite. I can only imagine how cold she was by the end of the shoot.

Black and White

2009-05-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Avedon book got me thinking about color vs. BW. I personally see more color than I do see things BW, at least in terms of my pics. But black and white is incredibly strong and muscular when used expertly. I looked thru the prop house and found these graphic vintage pieces. Here is my sunday afternoon 10 minute black and white portfolio.

Avedon's PERFORMANCE

2009-05-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

What do you get a photographer for his birthday. A book of photography. Joe gave me the new Avedon book, Performance. Wonderfully designed and edited and paced. For anyone interested in this medium a must have.

One of the best things about this publication is the way the book literally unfolds. As if you are drawing back the curtains on the actors and musicians and dancers.

More Birthday Gifts

2009-05-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well here are a few more birthday gifts. Not sure these will make you too envious but I'll give it a try.
Joe gave me a beautiful little book named Charles Harper's Bird & Words. Charley Harper was a modernist illustrator and artist with a life-long attraction to nature, especially birds.

Also, to keep the bird-theme going, Joe gave me a motion-activated toy Cardinal. And a weird birthday card of a man with a Cardinal head.

I guess to polish my new little toy bird Joe also got me my favorite dish towels from Crate and Barrel. These are the flour sack towels and I've used them in the kitchen but also wrapped them around my neck when I am out shooting in the sun/heat.

My new apartment

2009-05-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Moving this week....let's hope. Had a few setbacks. The painters were not so detail-oriented so it was an extra week. Then we had a floor-finishing fiasco (still too tender to talk about what happened!). But now just need to clean the walls of floor dust and get moved in.

Just have two things so far in the place. A plant and a stool. I'm going to go from an all-white place to an all-gray place. Just can't get the color thing happening. Once I am moved in I'll get some pics of the old place and the new place for comparison.

I'm downsizing. Moving my office out of my apartment and into the studio. The new place is just three blocks from the studio. And, all you photographers will understand one more thing I'm excited about....just three blocks from B&H Photo. My view from the kitchen to the north is of Dyer Avenue going to the Lincoln Tunnel. My view from living room to the south--if I had a 10ft neck--would be of the Empire State Building.

Leave it to the French

2009-05-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Peter Lippmann is a Paris-based still-life photographer. I came across these Christian Louboutin ads Lippmann shot and the styling and execution are spectacular. Only the French would sell shoes in an photograph with three dead quail.

Unusual Object of the Day

2009-05-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

I've used this object from our prop house a few times in pics I have taken and kinda/sorta knew what it was but never really had the time or energy to seek out the real answer. Well, I was on the New York Times website and saw a piece in their T Magazine that confirmed my idea.

It is a fabric printing block for Indian block printing. The Times article was on Jaipur. Found this site called Wonderful Workshops. If you have the inclination to travel to India a nicely hand-crafted fabric might just be the perfect object to bring back.

Fancy Japanese Magazine

2009-05-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

This Japanese lifestyle magazine, Kateigaho, comes from my friend Jin. Kateigaho is maybe a little fussy in the design and photography but for the visitor to Japan it seems to have a bunch of great info. This issue seems to be about "pink" but only because the issue's theme is cherry blossom. Very comprehensive and interesting (how about a map to all the prime cherry blossom viewing sites in Japan?). I want to go to Japan and meet Isao Shirai a farmer in Yokohama who
breeds new cherry tree varieties.